The Fire Inside Them
by BooksMakeMagicForMe
Summary: Katniss is the only Victor of the 74th Hunger Games. When she falls for someone impossible, and he returns her feelings, can they hide their relationship from a city seemingly driven by gossip, while simultaneously avoiding the obstacles which appear in their way?
1. Her Realisation

Sometimes, the decisions you make in life affect everyone, even the people you don't know. Sometimes, they can pull away from people you were close to, but more often than not, they introduce you to someone you never thought you would get the chance to meet. Someone that you never even looked twice at, or even despise because of... rumours Life is made of them. Life is full of them, lies and stories and the exaggeration of people with nothing to lose and everything to gain. One choice is all that Katniss made, one single little detail that brought her close to someone she never thought to care about, nor think about. One choice created the rumours that, for her, ignited a spark. A spark which grew, forming into flames of passion. Flames for someone... invisible. Flames for the man behind the arena. Flames for Seneca Crane.

* * *

Katniss was by the lake, with Peeta in the arena. Arguing. He told her to kill him, and vice versa. The Capitol would drink this up, the star-crossed lovers of District 12 fighting over who should escape the arena. Fighting for death, in essence. Peeta was glaring now, telling her that he had_ nothing_, his family wouldn't care, they wanted her to win. He didn't have anything to lose, and there was no chance of gaining anything from leaving that arena without her. Katniss know, that he was telling the truth. He wanted her to kill him, to end the limbo he was living in, the never-ending sadness.

Peeta didn't want the paranoia, the nightmares, the constant fight or flight instincts threatening to overwhelm him. Peeta wished he could die, and who was Katniss to deny that wish? She had already killed in the Games, she had murdered Marvel from 1. One more kill, someone who didn't want to live anyway, wouldn't hurt_ too_ much would it? It would make both of them happy. Peeta could escape from his depressing life, and Katniss could escape the arena and once more be a part of her family. Yes, she decided. I'll do it. For him. And then, on Peeta's count, she shot the arrow.

The cannon booms before Peeta's lifeless body even hit the ground. Two identical hover-crafts are seen on the horizon, one for the living tribute and one for the dead. One small tear trails down Katniss' cheek, and no more. She is the Victor. Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, the Girl on Fire. Victor Everdeen sounds good, she decides. Better than Tribute Everdeen. Better than simply Katniss Everdeen, the Girl whose Fire was Snuffed Out. Katniss climbs onto the hovercraft with its ladder prepared for her, and by the time she reaches the Capitol, shock has taken over her system. Her responses shut down, people talk to her when they land, congratulate her, thrown flowers and gifts, but she can't do anything. She can't speak, she can barely move. She is frozen by the realisation that she just killed an innocent.

She is taken to a room, where she is told to shower and then to wait for someone to come for her. She does as she is told. It is Haymitch who collects her, and immediately offers her a drink which she readily accepts. The shock clears away, leaving just confusion in its wake. She has dinner in the room where all of the tributes dined together before the Games. Where the occasional laugh could be heard, and the room was filled with the buzz and chatter of teenagers chatting together. For Katniss, the room is filled with the ghosts of weeks ago, before survival took over her mind and her body, forcing her to conform to the evil nature of the Games. So what does Katniss do? She runs, as she always has done. Away from the ghosts of her past, as per usual.

As soon as Katniss is far enough away from the room, she slows to a walk. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her breathing is laboured. Her fitness should really be amazing, but emotional and mental exhaustion as well as physical mar her, slowing her down. She leans against a wall, taking in lungfuls of fresh, clean air before continuing to walk through the red carpeted halls. She walks for at least a quarter of an hour before she hears any signs of life in this hellhole they call a 'Justice Building'.

The footsteps don't come from behind her, but rather in front of her. She pauses, her feet poised to send her sprinting in the opposite direction. A man rounds the corner, before stopping with a small smile on his face. Katniss knows him, it is the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. The man who created her arena and ordered the fire which singed and burned her, and the dogs which almost killed her. This time Katniss doesn't run. She has no more speed left in her, and the small rational part of her brain tells her that he can't harm her outside of the arena. Seneca greets her, introducing herself and she nods. He tells her that her actions in the arena were brilliant, she disagrees. He smiles, they chat, he excuses himself and walks away. All of the elements of a polite conversation. But something felt off to Katniss, different. Her stomach gave a flutter and she realised, slowly but surely, that she had a small –okay,_ enormous_- crush on Seneca Crane.


	2. His Mind

Seneca is walking to dinner. His head is filled with thoughts of the Victor of the Games, of how her ally asked her to kill him, begged her. It shocked him, but he cannot deny that he felt a little bit of pleasure when she killed the 12 boy. Mellark was beginning to annoy him, sticking to Katniss Everdeen like glue...'I can't believe I'm jealous', Seneca thinks. But the fire in Katniss' eyes and the poise of her body as she waited for the hover-craft is too much for Seneca to forget about. He doesn't usually feel like this. Not these kinds of emotions, not this head-over-heels in love feeling. He knows that she would never accept him, because of his being the Head Gamemaker. In her eyes, he is the cause of her pain, of her near-death.

He does feel for her though, and for all of those who died in the games. He pities that they must fight and die for something that they had no part in, that they were simply born into. Seneca walks on, deep in thought, when he hears something. He doesn't pause, rounding the corner to see Katniss. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, ready to run or fight at a moments notice. Seneca smiles at her and introduces himself. She just nods and watches him with a weariness in her eyes. Slowly though, as they chat, she seems to relax and even cracks a smile.

The sight of it makes him smile too, she's even prettier when she's happy. He realises that he's going to be seriously late, so he excuses myself quickly and heads to dinner. Once he's there, his head is filled with thoughts of her. Katniss is smart and brave, loyal and strong. She's everything he's ever wanted in a woman and more. She may be scarred mentally and emotionally from the arena, and she may be mourning, but Seneca Crane always gets the girl. Always, period.

Seneca strolls out of the dining room earlier than usual, having been too distracted to eat all that much. He decides that the only thing to do is go to the roof, and maybe that will clear his mind. He stands by the invisible forcefield, knowing exactly where it is because of the many times he's been up here since the start of this Games. He first visited this spot the day of the Tribute Parade, and almost every day since he has come here. The only time he didn't visit was the night before the beginning of the true Games. He had been busy making sure that the arena was secure and checking and double checking the minuscule cameras.

Seneca looks out over the Capitol, knowing that he can't be seen. To those below, the roof area is non-existent. He hears footsteps tapping their way towards him and the person stops beside him. He turns, surprised to see Katniss seemingly watching the festivities of the Capitol people. "Katniss." He greets her, and she nods. "Seneca." She replies, not looking at him, though he wishes that she would. He wants to see her eyes and figure out where the fire in them, the spark, comes from.

They stand there in silence for a while, not uncomfortable, but the kind of silence where you're happy in the other's presence and just don't feel the need for words. Katniss seems to be thinking about something, a small frown on her face. Suddenly, she turns to Seneca, asking,"How do you do it? The Games?". He takes a moment to think about that. He's never wondered about what he does for a living, it pays the bills and more, so why should he? He gets to live in comfort and the Capitol as well as President Snow are kept happy. _But, is organizing the deaths of 23 teenagers per year really_ _what you want to do_ _in order to keep yourself happy?_ A niggling thought in the back of his mind asks.

So he simply answers Katniss with a shake of his head and a quiet, reserved, "I don't know." And in reality, he doesn't know anymore. When Katniss leaves, she stays in Seneca's mind, and until they see each other again, and her question circles in his mind, never quite leaving him. He hasn't made any impression on her (he _thinks_) but that one question will change everything for the Girl on Fire and the Head Gamemaker who, in essence, created who she is. Inspired the Mockingjay.


	3. Her Dilemma

After Katniss leaves the roof, she can't help but wonder about the mysterious Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. Yes, he knows how to speak to a crowd, he's definitely charismatic, polite, and most of all, handsome. But honestly, Katniss doesn't know anything more. His answer to her question, which had once seemed simple, intrigues her. He sounded doubtful as he said that, almost as if she had made him think. Maybe she did.

Honestly though, Katniss wonders whether maybe he just answered her that way to confuse her, maybe force her to leak some valuable information which he could then hand over to Snow. Or there could be cameras or microphones on the roof and he didn't want to say anything in case they were caught. _Nah_, Katniss thinks. That wouldn't happen, couldn't happen. A Gamemaker going against his own Games, the very things he has been raised to admire? Not possible.

Her heart begins to throb as Katniss thinks about Seneca's dark hair and electric blue eyes. They're unlike anything she has ever seen before. Nobody in the Seam or the whole of District 12 would ever have eyes of such a strange colour, there are a lot of cousins and whatnot and they all pretty much share the same grey or deep blue eye colour. It's surprising that there are any eligible men in District 12 because of the small size of it. You would think that everyone would be related, and Katniss is sure that if you looked back far enough that would be correct.

But that doesn't matter anymore, she doesn't have to live there anymore, nor worry about which of the men are suitable for marriage and have good jobs to support Prim and her mother. This week, she was been offered a permanent home on the outskirts of the Capitol so she's seriously thinking about taking it. It seems better than living in District 12 in the semi-abandoned Victor's Village with her one drunken neighbour Haymitch.

Prim and Katniss' mother are allowed to come with her, and she can't help but think that maybe the Capitol, but mainly President Snow, want to keep an eye on the Everdeen's. Considering a handful of berries almost brought down the Capitol, Snow won't even want her to think about going back to her rebellious ways back home. Who knows, Gale might end up convincing her to begin a rising!

Katniss sighs, flopping against the pillows of her super soft bed. There's no point in daydreaming about Seneca, it's not like love is exactly at the top of her list of priorities. Avoiding President Snow, staying alive, and keeping Prim safe would be on top. Below that, probably something like seeing Gale again and letting Peeta go.

Possibly, she could slot love in somewhere just beneath that, but if Katniss ever ended up with Seneca Crane, she's sure it would just be a fling. During her brief time in the Capitol she's learned quite a bit of gossip and apparently the youngest Crane is something of a playboy and most definitely a flirt. If he had any interest in her, Katniss thinks, he would have flirted a little bit with her already. Damn! She thinks, I have to stop letting him get into my head. In a couple of days there'll be some story about him being involved with some Capitol woman and she'll let her heart break in two.

Since when has she ever though about guys anyway, the Hunger Games have seriously messed her up for life. She should be thinking about her upcoming Victory Tour, or her Victor interview with Caesar Flickerman, or remembering hunting with Gale. Chances are, she's never going to see Gale again. At least, not after the Victory tour when she moves to the Capitol for good.

Katniss has seen the house she has been offered- It isn't a bloody house, it's a mansion! There are six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two en-suites, two living areas, a study, a huge kitchen and an entertainment room with the most recent technological designs, including a gigantic television which adjusts itself for perfect viewing. In the main house- sorry, bedroom- there is an absolutely enormous walk-in wardrobe as well as the aforementioned en-suite bathroom. It's all decorated in deep reds and cream, with some black and white thrown in there as well. Not exactly Katniss' taste but as long as she's somewhere safe and her family is as well, she honestly doesn't care about how pretty the house is.

Katniss must go to the formal Victor recognition ceremony and be crowned officially, but she has one problem. She has to go with a date. She can't exactly turn up on her own, she needs someone there who she really trusts and who would make her feel at ease in this social event. Apparently it's the biggest thing of the year short of the actual Games so Katniss' nerves are beginning to take her over. She originally thought of maybe asking Cinna along as her friend, but he isn't allowed to go for some reason.

A few days ago, when they had finally breached the subject, Effie Trinket politely suggested the Head Gamemaker, and Katniss must have blushed for Effie began to tut and smile knowingly. "Charming young man isn't he dear! And handsome to boot." She had exclaimed and poor Katniss had had to excuse herself to go and splash herself with water._ I suppose_, she thinks, _now that I don't have to worry about starving or keeping the family alive and healthy,_ my _mind is starting to go all teenage-girl on me_. She really wishes it would stop. Her thoughts feel like they are forming differently, everything somehow changing to centre on Seneca. She keeps getting dragged back into the memory of their brief time together on the roof, so Katniss simply lets herself drop off into the deepest sleep of her life.


	4. His Pain

Seneca is lying in his room. The day is over for him, at only 3 o'clock. After the Games, all he really has to do is plan for the next year and go to social events. He can't have the people of the Capitol thinking that he is unsociable The Capitol residents spend all of their time thinking about the Games. Before the Games, they think about how long there is left. During them, they go absolutely crazy waiting for the bloody deaths. Afterwards, they daydream about what may happen next year, and whether it will be as exciting as the last.

Seneca's thoughts continue to turn to Katniss' question of last night. Honestly, he doesn't know why he still does what he does. He hates it, but his family seem to enjoy the fame and fortune that their relative showers upon them, so he carries on. Seneca would do anything for his family, in that way he is like Katniss. Seneca was always the one person who questioned the point of the Games, who wondered what the reason for killing innocent children was. Not anymore though.

When he showed his skill with technology and his creativity President Snow immediately enrolled him in a school for potential Gamemakers where he learned to mask his emotions and design the most gory and bloodthirsty Games possible. Seneca had been the youngest student in the Academy by far at only sixteen years of age, though he had still come top of his class and that earned him the respect of other Gamemakers when he finally joined up. It is because of that school that Seneca is now the Head Gamemaker, because of the lessons on hiding his true feelings and opinions. If Seneca had the chance he would join the Rising in a heartbeat, though he knows that he won't ever be offered that.

_**Warning! Gore, Angst and Self-Harm ahead, don't read on if you are sensitive!**_

He sighs, thinking about the many times he has killed tributes with the press of a button. He wonders if maybe he should revert to his old practice at the Academy, and with shame pooling in his stomach he walks to his kitchen and selects a knife. Stepping into his bathroom with his hands shaking, he stands over the perfectly white sink. He can hardly look at himself in the mirror.

He watches himself stretch his left wrist out in front of him, and his right hand moves to hold the knife against the tender skin. He examines the pale scars already left from blades like this over the years of learning to kill. His hand is moving automatically to the largest scar. He wants to feel a fraction of the pain that Tributes have felt before, pain that he has essentially caused. With a quick flick of his right wrist, the knife traces the scar, re-opening it and pouring scarlet blood into the sink.

His heart pounds as the blood flows, and he drops the knife, pressing his opposite sleeve to the wound to staunch the bleeding. It isn't working, his clothing is soaked with the liquid. His vision starts to sway and fade, darkness shrouding his mind. He lets out a groan of pain and sinks to the ground, before the welcoming peace of unconsciousness takes him in its clutches.

_**Gore is over, you can read on from here if you couldn't handle that last part!**_

Seneca wakes on his bed, with neat bandages wrapped around his wrist. An Avox girl is standing by his door, and holds out a neat note telling him not to move his arm too much. He nods, and doesn't argue, there isn't a point. He just pretty much bled to death on his bathroom floor, so much for being smart. "What happened?" he asks, and the Avox looks grim. She writes furiously on her notepad , and walks over to the bedside so that he can read the piece of paper better. It simply says 'Another Avox found you. She is good with medicine'. He smiles and tells the girl to thank the other Avox, and she nods before leaving the room.

Seneca buries his head in the pillow, thinking about what an idiot he has become. _His hand must've slipped and he_ _probably hit a vein_, he thinks. He won't be leaving this room any time soon with the amount of blood he lost. He doesn't want to think about it any longer, so he simply closes his eyes and lets the thought of a girl with unnaturally grey eyes and a long braid of brown hair slip into his dreams.


	5. Her Changes

**Disclaimer- I don't own The Hunger Games, but if I did Seneca Crane would live, fo sho!  
Please review, I like knowing that you guys like this! Some constructive criticism would be awesome too!**

* * *

Katniss is bored the next day. She has nothing to do except for sit around and think, or maybe go up to the roof. She decides that the roof is her best option, and that maybe she'll meet Seneca while she's there. She has a couple more questions to ask him and she wants to know his answer to the last one. Katniss doesn't believe in 'I don't know.' When it comes to serious topics, as in 'Why do you kill innocent children for a living?'.

She can't help but be a little excited about seeing him again, so she heads up and perches on the ground. She knows that he might not come up here, but she has the strangest feeling that he comes up here often. You have to, to know where the barrier is. It's funny really, that the Capitol loves killing so much that they would stop Tributes from taking their own lives so that the residents of Panem can see the death for themselves and make sure it was in the most painful way possible.

Katniss stays huddled on the roof for at least three hours if not more. She decides to come up that night, and maybe he'll be there then. She is beginning to disgust herself, her lovesick heart telling her what to do instead of her brain. Katniss has always relied on instinct and brains to survive, and all of a sudden she doesn't need those things anymore. She can finally make her decisions with her heart, and follow it wherever it wishes to take her. But maybe that is a little too big of a step all in one go. Katniss could never release her instinct, not after the Games. But who knows, maybe letting herself go and loosening up might help her out a bit. At least, it would on the love front. Katniss hasn't a clue about how boys work or think, nor how to act around them.

When Katniss gets to her floor, it is about three o'clock and Effie is the only one there. Katniss inwardly groans, all the luck, instinct or brains in the world couldn't save her from Effie. Immediately, poor Katniss is being fussed over and pushed into a chair in front of the artificial fire. "Girls on Fire shouldn't let themselves freeze!" Effie titters, and begins banging on about the ball, and the crowning, and dresses and dates and etiquette... Most of it goes straight through Katniss, in one ear and out the other. That doesn't stop her from blushing when Seneca comes up in conversation though. She's tuned in then, listening to every word Effie has to say.

She's a little shell-shocked when the older woman tells her that Seneca has sent her a message and it's lying on Katniss' bedside table. What could possibly be in it? She forces herself to wait however, and that decision is definitely worth it. Seneca is injured, but he will be okay in time for the ball... And he wants her to go with him? Effie giggles at Katniss, who is gazing off into the horizon with a dreamy look on her face. "Dear, your mother and Primrose will be arriving tomorrow, so do go and get yourself warmed up! You wouldn't want to catch a cold, now would you?" Effie tuts, and Katniss grins. Finally, dear little Prim and... Mother. Katniss really hopes she doesn't hear anything bad about Mother from Prim. _If she shut down while Katniss was in the Games, she will not be living in the same house as herself and Prim_, Katniss swears_._

Katniss annoys Effie for details of Seneca's injury, but she honestly doesn't know anything. It mustn't be serious though, if he'll be alright in time for the Victor's ball. Why would he want to go with plain, boring Katniss Everdeen? She can't even dance, having come from District 12. Katniss walks into her room and picks up the message from Seneca. It is written on creamy-white paper, thicker than the usual type. She unfolds the note and marvels at Seneca's handwriting for a few moments before beginning to read:

Katniss,  
Meet me on the roof at 8pm tonight.  
Tell nobody. I believe I have an answer to your question.  
Seneca Crane

She can't help but feel a small flutter in her stomach when she realises that Seneca Crane wants to meet her in private. And, she's on first-name terms with the Head Gamemaker, who happens to be regarded as one of the most handsome men in the Capitol. It is now six o'clock, she has two hours to make herself look presentable. This, she thinks, is a job for Effie.

It isn't exactly hard to get Effie to help Katniss with her clothes and hair. She just says that she wants to be able to make herself presentable in a short amount of time, in case she ever needs to. Effie wastes no time, asking Katniss if she wants formal or casual attire, or semi-casual, or smart casual, or maybe wedding-formal. Katniss just says she wants a basic casual outfit that takes less than two hours to prepare, and with that Effie is pulling clothes out of the wardrobe, running in and out of the en-suite for moisturiser and hairspray and just doing what Effie does.

Katniss can't help but gasp at her appearance in the mirror. She is wearing a pair of skinny jeans which highlight her long, thin, lean legs. A forest-green top with a medium neckline fits her perfectly, matching the blue jeans amazingly well. Katniss' usually tied hair is loose and hangs slightly wavily around her mid-back. A few strands frame her face, which is glowing slightly from a small amount of makeup. Mascara and a touch of eyeliner finish the look, with a pair of converse perched on her feet. She looks cute, but casual. Very un-Capitol-like, but more Katniss' style. Not perfect, she's more comfortable in her hunting jacket and boots, but it'll do. So at eight, Katniss leaves and heads to the roof to meet with Seneca Crane.


	6. Their Hearts

Seneca pulls his hands through his hair worriedly as he waits for Katniss to arrive on the roof. Why is he doing this, why does he feel this way about her? She's sixteen years old, and he's twenty-three. There is seven years in the difference which isn't too bad, but when it's Victor Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, it just... It's wrong! He is deep in his thoughts when he feels someone nudge his arm and he turns his head. Katniss stands there, a slightly nervous look on her beautiful face (wait, what?).

He smiles at her before turning back to the view of the city. She stands next to him and they are silent for a minute, before he says softly "It's beautiful isn't it.", which earns him a murmur of assent from the girl by his side. She looks peaceful, looking at the sparkling lights layed out below them, like a map made of stars. "I have your answer, by the way", Seneca mutters, turning to Katniss. She looks at him with something strange in her eyes, something Seneca has seen in other womens eyes but never in Katniss'. Not when she looked at the male Tribute from her District, Peeta Mellark. Lust, he realised, but it fades as she seems to notice his watchful gaze.

Her grey eyes, typical of her District, turn stony and emotionless and her face straightens completely, the relaxed look disappearing completely. Seneca aches to reach out and touch her soft skin, trace her lips with his fingers, but he restrains himself. He feels tortured by these feelings, he has never felt this strongly about anyone before. This feeling of needing her, not just for her body, but for her. He wants to heal her, to apologise for the pain and loss he put her through in the arena. He wishes he could punish himself even more than he already has, just to drown the ache for her. He needs to see her, not this fake and emotionless image she faces him with. He wants to heal her scars, not just physical but mental, emotional, the ones every Victor is left with after the Games. Before he even realises he has spoken, he has said,

"I don't know why I do it. I wish that I could stop, but once you enter this job, there is only one way to back out. I hate the way I have to kill just to keep my family name feared. I hate the way I can't trust anyone. I _despise_ the way I am blamed for these deaths though, when I have no choicebut to carry out Snow's orders. I don't want to, but it's the only option."

"If there was a way to get away from here, to forget about everything I have done since I took this job, I would gladly do it. But there isn't. If Snow finds out that I feel this way about being a Gamemaker, he would have me executed on the spot. The only reason I'm telling you this is because... I think I can trust you with it. You're a Victor- from 12 no less. I'm pretty sure you won't tell him, because from what I know, you hate him as much as I do.".  
He pauses for breath, watching Katniss for a reaction. She has a stunned look on her face, and she sighs in frustration.

"So... You haven't got a choice, in what you're doing. That's what you're saying? Because that isn't true. You always, _always_ have a choice. You want to know what I think? I think you are a coward. While everyone else in the same position as us is fighting, you just keep going with whatever Snow wants. I don't even care anymore. I don't care if there's someone listening, hell I don't care if you're going to go and tell Snow yourself! There is a Rising, right now. I know that you know about it, everone does. Everyone acts like they know nothing about it, but they do! It's going on right now, and you are going to get Rebels killed if you don't just stop what you're doing and get your goddamn act together!"  
She yelled the last sentence, slamming her hands into his chest and shoving him backwards into the wall of the building. "Woah, calm down!" Seneca exclaims, shocked at her reaction. He takes a step towards her, and she doesn't move back. He sees the flames burning in her eyes, and can't stop himself anymore.

He reaches forward and touches her shoulder, a small smile on his face. Katniss flinches slightly but not enough to shake his hand off. Seneca lets his fingers trail down her arm and she looks at the ground in embarrassment with a small blush decorating her cheeks. He moves even closer to her and puts his hand under her chin, gently nudging her to look at him. She doesn't resist, watching him with the same lust in her eyes as earlier. She leans into his touch, and he cups her cheek tenderly. His lips are suddenly aching to touch hers and he leans forward.

She gasps as their lips touch, and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She tastes amazing, forbidden but amazing all the same. She starts to respond to him and he lets his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her as close as possible. Her arms are around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair, and she makes a soft noise of pleasure as he strokes his thumb along her hip. He pulls away and she blinks at him, getting her breath, and immediately turns her gaze to the ground. "I better go, Effie will be getting worried", she murmured and he nodded, disappointment in his eyes. "Can I meet you here tomorrow?" She asks in a moment of silence and he smiles, agreeing straight away. As she leaves he grasps her arm and turns her to face him, kissing her quickly but passionately. "Goodbye." He says with a smirk and he watches her leave, pleased with the night's events.


End file.
